Disclosed herein are relatively thin-film electrodes and battery cells, and methods of fabrication, including non-metallic and electrically non-conductive porous thin films having pores with micrometer range diameters and partially metallized pore walls with a metal thickness within a range of 50 to 150 nanometers, to hold active materials within metallized portions of the pores and an electrolyte within non-metallized portions of the pores.
Conventional thin film batteries are relatively thick, within a range of 500 to 5000 micrometers (μm). Conventional thin film batteries also have high internal resistances, greater than 1,000 Ohms, and correspondingly low current discharge rates, below 1 mA/cm2.
Conventional batteries include metallic and/or carbon support structures to hold energy storing chemicals. The support structures may contribute more than 50% of the mass and volume of the batteries. Since the support structures do not store energy, the added mass and volume of the support structures diminish energy densities and specific energies of the batteries.
A conventional thin film battery cell may include an electron-non-conducting separator between anode and cathode layers to conduce current therebetween. Damage to the separator may cause a short-circuit in the battery, and further increases the mass of the battery.
Materials and thicknesses of conventional thin film batteries also render the batteries relatively inflexible.
Conventional rechargeable batteries include lithium-ion batteries, which have a risk of thermal runaway, which may lead to battery degradation or destruction.